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Federal Appeals Court Upholds $36M Verdict Against Nassau County for Malicious Prosecution & Wrongful Conviction

According to today's New York Law Journal, "the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the result of a contentious civil rights case brought by John Restivo and Dennis Halstead, who each spent 18 years in prison for the rape and murder of a 16 year old girl. A Brooklyn federal jury awarded the two men $1 million for each year they were in prison for malicious prosecution and denial of a fair trial." There was credible evidence presented to the jury that Nassau County homicide detectives either falsified or withheld evidence to convict the innocent men. The trial Judge agreed the lawyers for the wrongfully convicted men should recover approximately $5 million.  Restivo v Hessemann, 14-4662-cv

There is a law that imposes 9% statutory interest against defendant's during the time after the jury verdict thru the appeal phase, which now results in the award now topping $50 million. Unless the Second Circuit agrees to a rehearing, or, the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear an appeal, (both doubtful) Nassau County is stuck with this verdict. It is consistent with other verdicts and settlements arising out of wrongful conviction cases.

Ronald C. Burke, Esq

Trial Attorney with 30+ Years of Experience Attorney Ronald C. Burke, Esq. has more than 30 years of experience and has focused his career on representing clients in cases involving personal injury, medical malpractice and legal malpractice. He is a seasoned trial lawyer and has won many seven-figure settlements and verdicts for his clients over the years, including many case victories listed among the largest in the history of the New York State. He has been featured in the news and is a regular lecturer for the New York County Lawyers Association, as well as having lectured before the New York State Bar Association. Ron is also an attorney with Kelner & Kelner, a New York personal injury law firm. Awards and Accolades Mr. Burke's awards and accolades are many. Among them, he has been included in New York Super Lawyers® each year since 2010, and he has received the highest-possible AV® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®. Verdict Search, a part of the New York Law Journal, frequently recognizes his notable successes after winning some of the highest settlements and verdicts in past years. He was also featured in their list of the "Top New York Verdicts " and "Top New York Settlements." He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and is licensed to practice law in the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, as well as before the United States Supreme Court. When Attorney Burke is not handling legal malpractice cases, he is highly involved in the local community. He was a member of the Village of Rockville Centre Volunteer Fire Department, has served on the local school board and as Chairman of the local Zoning Board. Learn more about Attorney Burke and how he can skillfully handle your malpractice case by contacting the Law Offices of Ronald C. Burke, Esq. right away to schedule your complimentary case evaluation. Our firm is here to help! Contact a New York Legal Malpractice Attorney Our firm provides each client's case with thorough preparation and aggressive representation, ensuring that you win the best possible results for your case whether it is settled or goes to trial. As a seasoned trial lawyer, Mr. Burke can provide the strong and relentless representation you need to establish negligence in a legal malpractice case and to recover any damages you may have suffered. Our firm can recover compensation for pre-trial and trial malpractice, violations of fee arrangements, loss of income, pain and suffering, and much more. Contact us today!

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